How The Broken Places In Niecy Nash's Past Shaped The Woman We Know And Love Today

On any given day, you can scroll through Niecy Nash's Instagram and find a positive message or image, lifting up those around her, celebrating the wonderful people in her life, and showing us just how amazing Black women are and can be.

Speaking with Tamron Hall during ESSENCE Fest's Strength Of A Woman panel, which included Queen Latifah, Dee Rees, Kristi Henderson, Mary J. Blige, and Jada Pinkett Smith, Nash revealed what it was that pushes her to be such a positive person.

"What happened to me, was my background was filled with a lot of broken places," she shared. "You know, I saw my mother get shot when I was a young kid. My only brother was murdered. I've been through a divorce and when I signed that paper, my ex-husband was my pastor. I lost my husband, my church, and my marriage."

Nash added, "But the sum of those experiences could not define me. I lived through it but I'm not it. And I wanted to be happy no matter what. I lost some people along the way, because what?! They were not making me happy. I was in a situation where I had to bring me own change, what I wanted. Everything around changed. And, I made a promise. What is the promise? Happiness, love, being a blessing to others. I just promise to be that in spite of my past. That's how I pushed through."